Yami no Moribito - Guardian of the Darkness
by Alika-Chan Yonsa
Summary: (Tome II – English Version) Balsa decided to return to her homeland, Kanbal, with her daughter Alika, now seven years old, to explain all the truth about her and Jiguro, there's twenty-four years. But what supposed to be a simple passive visit to show her country at her daughter and reconciled with the Musa Clan become fickle...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** _I didn't own Moribito's characters, all belong to Nahoko Uehashi, but I own my OC, Alika._

 **Author's note:** _I published this Volume II fanfic on a specific day, then, yes, this is why._ _Fanfic translated from French into English, some part are directly taken from the book. I don't have any beta-reader to help me to fix my errors, so, sorry if some sentences miss words or have wrong spelling. And if some part are written "_ _perfectly " you will know that it is directly taken from the book. _

_Well, this is a prologue!_

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

The hot, dry summer had passed, and the green foliage was beginning to fade. Within a month, the mountain slopes would be covered in a blaze of autumn leaves. Those mountains to the south now separated Balsa and Alika from everyone they loved in New Yogo, while to the north, through the cave, laid her native country, Kanbal, whose very name stirred bitter memories within her. Yet, it was also the country her daughter wanted to visit since she was very young yet. They were now standing on the rocky ledge beside a dark cave and watched the landscape. A stream rushed from the cave mouth and thundered into a basin far below, wrapping them in the tingling scent of the fresh water.

"It took us one month," calculated Alika, seven years old. "You're not too tired, Mom?"

"Everything's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Obviously, why?"

"You went to six months of pregnancy. And what if we had to fight? I'm worried about you."

"You don't have to," she smiled, taking her daughter by the shoulders. "I'm fine and I'm in great shape."

"Daddy wanted from you to give him an advance notice about my lit' Sis or Brother's birth... but I doubt now. Yogo's so far away..." She scanned the horizon. "And my feet hurt so much!"

"We will find a solution. Exceeded the cave, we will stop to rest."

"It's dark," she squealed, watching the entrance. "I have goosebumps..."

"I know the way. The rugged land of Kanbal follows the contours of the Yusa mountains, 'the mother range', and in truth, which hide a deep labyrinth of caves. Parents constantly warned their children to stay out of the caves, telling them stories of the darkness ruled by the Mountain King and the terrible _hyohlu_ who guarded his kingdom."

"The _hyohlu_? What is it?"

"The guardian of the darkness. I will tell you about that later."

"Will we not walk through _this_ dark cave, aren't we?"

"Yes. Saying that, I could have entered Kanbal through the official border gate like other travelers. But I wanted to return through this same cave."

"Why?"

"I crossed once this cave, I was six years... and I never returned to Kanbal thereafter. Somehow, I feel that it is the right thing to do – to walk through the darkness, retracing my steps to my native land."

"Ah..."

In spite of, since her childhood, Balsa had been taught to fear the caves, and though she had survived countless battles through strength and bravery alone, in this very moment, she felt the familiar terror rising in her stomach as she stood before the dark opening with her daughter. She controlled herself to make sure she didn't show her nervousness for Alika. The little girl was so stressed by her hypersensitivity to the different energies. She was her leader and her guide after all. Unconsciously, she began to caress her roundness belly, which becoming increasingly bigger, in circular moves.

"You're nervous," Alika noticed.

"Yes... I can't hide you anything. I've always been scared by the caves, and yet, it's the only way to fix my past."

"All will be fine, I am with you."

Balsa opened her eyes, took a deep breath and took the hand of her daughter.

"We said goodbye to the people we love in New Yogo Kingdom."

"It's done!"

"It's time to go."

In perfect synchronization, they entered into the dark cave. The light behind them dwindled to a tiny point and then vanished altogether, but they continued on slowly, their eyes open, keeping one hand on the wall.


	2. Chapter 1: Visiting Kanbal

_**Chapter 1: Visiting Kanbal**_

* * *

Alika pressed against her mother. Nervousness was three times heavier for her than Balsa, because she was an acute sensitivity, as a person who's seeing spirits. The slightest movements and the atmosphere of departed souls affected her largely.

"Never take light into the caves. The _hyohlu_ hate fire. If you bring a torch or lantern, they'll smell it and track you down. The only way to get through here alive is to walk slowly feeling the rock."

"Can we talk?"

"Of course. But don't scream."

"Anyway, why shall I scream? I feel so suffocated..."

"It's okay, I also felt oppressed as you at your age, but you, you're even more."

"Keep talking to me, Mommy. Please"

"As mentioned earlier, parents constantly warned their children to stay out of the caves. Despite these warning, however, probably every child in Kanbal ventured a little way inside at least once in his or her life."

"Even you?"

"Yes, even me. But I've never been so far. While the rock near the surface is limestone, it soon gives way to a smooth white _Hakuma_ stone. A piece of _Hakuma_ was the highest badge of courage among Kanbalese children, for it proved that the bearer had gone into the darkness beyond the reach of daylight. Every few years, one or two children who snuck into the caves failed to return. Perhaps they were eaten by the _hyohlu_ as their parents claimed, or perhaps they simply lost their way in the complex maze of tunnels. But I know that most of them have strayed inadvertently. The _hyohlu_ doesn't really eat children... adults say that to insist the children to not venture there."

"As the third door on the right in the hunter cave.

"Exactly."

The Alika's hand tightened stronger to her mother's.

"The limestone on the surface rock would soon give way to the smooth white _Hakuma_ and eventually milky green _lyokuhaku_ , a precious stone."

"Could I recover from each? To prove my courage to the other Kanbalese children?" she smiled.

"We'll see. You know Alika, legend says that if a traveler went far enough into the cave, he might find the palace of the Mountain King, which was supposedly made the most precious gem in Kanbal: _luisha_ , the luminous blue stone."

"It glows in the dark?"

"Yes. This is the gem of the most precious stone in Kanbal, which also allows the survival of my homeland."

"I would love to have!"

"You have your necklace that is made of it," Balsa reminded.

"Oh? I almost forgot... oops... I forgot it in Dad" she grieved.

"It doesn't matter."

"We're almost out?"

"It takes a one day in the dark."

"Arrrkkk... I'm tired to being in the dark!"

"Even in my company?"

"No."

Balsa nodded with a smile. The more they advanced in the darkness, the more they felt the air being squeezed out of their chest.

"Breathe slowly," she advised her daughter.

"Okay."

They continued to sink into the darkness. The rushing stream, which had roared continuously in their ears, gradually receded into the distance, and though their straw sandals muffled their footsteps, their breathing now seemed very loud in the silence. They had just reached the next passage and were turning the corner when the acrid smell of smoke stung their nose.

"Never take light into the caves," Alika repeated.

A scream jerked them back to reality. The wordless wail bounced off the walls, echoing through the caves – a child's voice, high and shrill. Dropping her bag on the ground with Alika's bag, Balsa tooks her spear and sped cautiously through the dark continuing to tighten firmly the hand of her daughter. The crisscrossing caves distorted sound, making it hard to locate the scream's origin. At the next branch, however, she saw a light and sprinted raced toward it, taking care to remember the route back. To eyes accustomed to the dark, the light of the torch seemed as bright as day, reflecting off the white _Hakuma_ stones with a brilliance that lit up the entire cavern. Then a streak of light whistled through the air and struck the torch, quenching its flame. Darkness returned, but not before the scene had imprinted itself on Balsa's mind: a boy gripping a torch, his back against the wall, and a girl cowering on the ground beyond him. The smoke from the extinguished torch tickled her nose as she felt her way to where she had seen the boy. His ragged breathing told her that he was still alive and, as she didn't feel smell blood, she was fairly certain he was unharmed. Balsa withdrew the hand of her daughter to allow her to take her belt instead to be able to have a free hand, the other holding her spear. Reaching his side, she grabbed his shoulder. He jumped.

"Don't scream!" she whispered fiercely. "Tell me what happened."

"My sis– my sister… the _hyohlu_..."

Balsa turned in the direction of the little girl. Something lurked in the darkness just past her – something uncanny. Alika pressed her best against her mother trembling, as if she wanted to merge with her. Swinging her spear towards it, Balsa exhaled slowly. The stillness that always came before battle settled over her, and adrenaline surged though her veins, shrinking the world down to nothing but herself and the enemy before her. Drilled to fight even in the dark, she could just make out a phosphorescent pale blue glow. Keeping her eyes wide open, she shifted her gaze silently to the side until she discerned a shape within the bluish haze. _So that's a_ hyohlu, Balsa thought. She felt chilled to the core.

Alika blinked and looked at her mother.

"I've done this before, a long time ago," Balsa whispered.

"Mommy..."

"Sorry, I was just... I just had a funny feeling facing the _hyohlu_..."

They heard a faint moan behind them – the little girl. Moving cautiously toward the sound, she reached out to touch the child.

"It's all right now," she said. "The _Hyohlu_ has gone. Are you hurt?"

"My foot..." the girl answered between sobs.

Alika felt the boy approached, uncertain. His hand moving in the dark finally touched her head, well... not the head of her mother, but her. If there had been light, Alika have probably shown her annoyed head.

"Hey, boy," she growled to the amazement of her mother, "you touch my head." she took his hand and placed it on his mother's arms. "That's my Mommy... your savior..."

Balsa took his hand and guided him toward the girl.

"Gina, are you all right?" he whispered.

"Kassa!" the girl cried.

"It's all right now," the spear-wielder repeated quietly. "But let's get out of here. I'll carry your sister. Grab the end of my spear and follow me quietly."

The boy helped the girl to climb up on Balsa's back, even if she was pregnant – she had to say that in prehistoric times, women had to be so strong even in such a condition – and Alika restrained all jealousy. Recalling the route she had taken to find them, she traced her way hack to the passage where she had left her bag and her daughter's affairs. By the time they finally left the cave the moon was already sinking in the west. Outside, the night air enveloped them, startlingly cold and smelling of snow: nights breathe blowing down from the snow-capped mother range. White peaks glittered blue in the moonlight.

"Er…." the boy looked up at Balsa, his face faintly lit by the moon.

A head shorter than her but sturdily built, he looked about fourteen and fifteen. His tunic of tanned goat hide marked him as a member of the warrior class, as did the broad knife that hung from the back of his thick leather belt.

"Thank you," he said, his voice husky, as if it had only recently changed.

"Yes, well, we were just lucky to get out of there alive," she replied, and then added sternly, "How could you be so stupid? Taking your younger sister into the cave to test your courage! A young man like you with the right to carry a dagger– you should have known better. She could have been killed!"

The boy looked surprised.

"No, you've got it all wrong!" his sister interjected. "I was the one who went in to get the stone, not my brother."

Her voice was surprisingly firm and steady. Balsa had assumed she was only about ten, but she revised her estimate to twelve or even thirteen.

"There's this boy in our village who's so stuck up– he keeps talking about how he's from chieftain's line and laughing at us, and he said if _we_ went into the caves to get a stone, we'd never come out alive because we're just from a branch family. That's why I did it."

Balsa suppressed a smile.

"I see. Now I understand _why_ you did it. But is still wasn't worth risking your life. You should never underestimate the caves. You almost died in there tonight."

Both said nothing, most likely reliving the terror they felt when they met the _hyohlu_. The girl clung to her.

"Don't ever go into the cave, you understand me?"

They nodded.

"Good, that's settled then. Is your village near here?"

"Yes, I'm Kassa, son of Tonno Musa of the Musa clan. This is my sister, Gina."

Alika restrained comment on the name "Musa".

"Excuse me, but are you a foreigner?" Kassa asked hesitantly.

"What?" Balsa said.

"You're dressed like people from New Yogo, finally, a little... and the way you talk is, well..."

"No, I was born in Kanbal. But I've been on a very long journey."

She lost a little in her thoughts, saying that she should be careful now.

"You're Kassa and Gina, right? I want you to do me a favor." Kassa nodded. "Don't tell anyone that you have met me in the caves with this child – she pointed Alika."

"Is she yours?"

"Yes."

He looked at her spear amber handle. "She is young, too much well to wield a spear..."

"Some have the talent in the blood... I assure you, I haven't kidnapped her," She laughs as her daughter looked at her indignantly.

"Mommy!"

"I know, honey. Anyway, you can tell your family that you saved Gina yourself."

It was too dark to see clearly, but she thought that Kassa looked troubled.

"Can't we tell our parents?" Gina asked from her perch on Balsa's back. "If you come with us, I know they'll want to meet you and have you for a meal. Please, come with us."

"Thank you, but I really cannot. I'm on a journey of penance to save my foster father's soul. If I accept any hospitality of your family, my good deed won't have any effect. You know that, don't you? So please, don't tell anyone I helped you. From here, you can find your home?"

"Yes."

"Well... Oh, and by the way, what did you do with the torch?"

"I still have it, but it was snuffed out."

After a short analysis of the torch, Balsa lowered Gina to the ground and helped her climb onto Kassa's back, then took a flint box from her bag to light the torch.

She gave it to Gina and asked Kassa."Will this last you until you reach home?"

They nodded. With the light of the torch, she could see them clearly for the first time. Kassa had a boyish face and looked a little unsure of himself, but she could tell he was a serious youth who cared about his sister. Gina was dark-skinned and her braided hair was looped on top of her head. Although there was still a trace of fear in her eyes, his firmly set lips betrayed a strong will.

"Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye" she said. "I don't suppose you could tell me the quickest way from here to the nearest market?"

"That would be Sula Lassal," Kassa said "It's about thirty _lon_ from here – what you'd call an hour's walk that way, down at the bottom of the valley. It's the biggest _lassal_ in Musa territory, so you'll see a lot inns."

Balsa thanked them and took the hand of her daughter before headed down the path. She had no intention of staying in an inn tonight. She would camp outside in a small camp and wait until several hours after sunrise, when people were up and about. Then she would go to the market to buy some local clothes. If she wanted to be inconspicuous and avoid to putting the life of her daughter in danger, everything else would have to wait.

"What does it mean to repent, Mommy? You're in punishment?"

"No, my angel. Do 'penance', here, in Kanbal, people believe that those who have died without fix their wrongs become forever the slaves of the King Mountain, the mysterious underground land rule. Their only hope of salvation was to leave home and family and to walk on the good deeds of atonement died for the sins of the person. But people who do penance could wear a red headband or even put clothes of the opposite sex."

"This would explain our spears?"

"In part."

"And our belts and pants?"

"In part, I suppose. But it's as much female as male... you don't imagine Mommy without pants, yep?"

"NO!" She hid her face in the cape, making Balsa to burst of laughs.

"Go, you will sleep here until tomorrow morning."

"I feel cold."

"Paste up against me."

"Yeah... Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"You seem able to hide your belly... you don't dare to show it?"

"It's better to not show it, not yet."

"Okay."

* * *

Sula Lassal market lay at the bottom of a bowl-shaped. About thirty shops lined the crossroads where the two main thoroughfares met. Despite Kassa's claim that it was the biggest market in Musa territory, to the well-traveled Balsa, it seemed surprisingly small. The shops were just simple stalls with thick stone walls, a thatch of straw, and tables laden with wares. There were many sold good from southern countries like grain and candied fruits. Although she had hoped to be a bit unnoticed, Balsa was noticed among all merchants of the Clan Musa. Wherever she passed, people's eyes followed her. At the same time, her daughter also held a spear to his very young age, which accentuated the number of eyes on them. In the middle of town, she finally found a stall selling clothes, all brightly colored to make it easier to spot anyone who got lost in the snow. She showed some clothes to Alika, which one who particularly looking dresses with a drop and long sleeve pink and purple. The shopkeeper, a tall man with a face like tanned leather, watched Balsa suspiciously but as soon as the little girl at her side looked at him with her big brown eyes, he found himself thinking she was cute enough to eat.

"Surely you don't want those? They're for men."

"But I want men's clothing. I'm on a journey of penance."

"Ah, I see" he said surprised, his forbidding expression softens slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that. And where was it you were coming from?"

She pressed Alika against her noting the owners of the surrounding shop and even their customers were straining to hear their conversation. So she decided to say enough to satisfy their curiosity.

"I came from New Yogo, but I was born in Kanbal, but my foster father took me to Yogo when I was young and that's where I grew up. He committed a crime in Yogo, so I decided to come back here to do penance... but please don't ask me more than that."

"Ah, no." He waves his hand in front of his face hastily. "It's just that the mark on your spear is like that of the chieftain's, and I was wondering how you might be related, considering that you're dressed like an outlander and all."

 _Oh, blast!_... She said in her mind. She feigned polite surprise.

"Really? I didn't know there was another clan with a similar mark. Well, that's certainly interesting, but this spear is a memento of my father, and I don't think he belonged to the Musa clan."

"Is that so? Well then, I guess you're right. There must be other clans with the same design. But there I go prying... That outfit with the boots are fifty _nal_. I'll throw the belt for free because you're going penance, like."

"Do you take Yogo currency?"

"Of course. Yogo merchants come to buy furs around this time of year" He looked fur tails hanging on the Alika's hips. "One piece of Yogo silver is worth a hundred _nal_."

"Hey there! Don't let him cheat you just 'cause you're doing penance, you hear? That should be a hundred and ten _nal_!"

The customers burst out laughing. Alika was getting really upset. Fortunately, her mother managed to keep her composure and most importantly, kept a touch of humor in the second degree.

"I wasn't going to cheat her. I just meant that that's the exchange rate for Yogo merchants in my shop!" He winked at Balsa. "So how about it? While you're at it, why not buy that wool cloak? I'll give you the lot for one piece of Yogo silver. If you've been gone a while, you might have forgotten, but the winters here come early and the cold is enough strong enough to freeze the marrow in your very bones. This _kahl,_ though, it's woven from Kanbal goat's wool. The natural oils in it keep off the rain and the bug too."

Balsa smiled and said she would take it. Alika, who didn't say a word since the early purchases, pointed a pink dress she kept observing and her mother took it for shopping she was doing to do. She was richer than she had ever been in her life, thanks to her last job. The Second Empress had paid her enough to live comfortably for the next fifteen years of her life.

"Do you have the same thing but for kids?"

"Of course. It is perhaps a little too large for her current size, but I think it should to suit her."

"She will grow up, I can assure you. In return, though, would you exchange another silver piece for me? A hundred _nal_ will do."

"Hang on; I'll have to see if I have enough."

He rose and opened a box and counted the money inside and exchanged the silver coin for copper _nal_.

«Thank you. Can I ask you one last thing?"

"And what would it be?"

"Can you tell me how to get to the Yonsa territory?"

He reached behind his stand and brought a map made by a sheet of thin leather.

"This here's a map for traveling merchants. I'll let you have it for half a _nal_."

Alika helped to carry the packages and they hadn't walked very far when a delicious smell wafted through the air –deep fried _losso_ , a thin dough of grated _gasha_ potato kneaded with plenty of _la_ , or goat's butter, and stuffed with various ingredients.

She bought two _losso_ sweetened with _Yukka_ juice and two other _losso_ stuffed with goat's cheese and minced meat, as well as some _lakalle_ , a drink brewed from fermented goat's milk, then they went to sat on a bench near a group of merchants who had already started on an early lunch.

"You don't talk much," Balsa noticed to her daughter.

"I don't want problems happen to you... and I'm afraid to make a mistake if I open my mouth."

"Don't worry about that. Are you happy with the shopping we made?"

"Yes."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

As Balsa bit through the crispy outer crust of the _losso_ , the taste of melted goat's cheese filled her mouth. She watched her daughter taste carefully those foods that were unknown to her. At first nothing, then slowly more force and then a big smile of satisfaction. She also told her plans for the day: borrow a small horse and leave today for the Yonsa territory.

"But returning to my native village did not mean that any family would be there. My mother had died when I was five and I have no memory of my grandparents. The only person I remember is Aunt Yuka, the youngest sister of my father. She often came to see us after my Mom died and often brought hot meals and sweets."

The folds in the Yusa rang marked the clan boundaries of Kanbal. Each clan numbered about five thousand people, who grazed goats on the rocky stretches beneath the mountains peaks and farmed the plateaus above the forested slopes. Clan settlements of about fifty families each lay scattered along these plateaus, surrounded by low stone walls. Major roads ran through the valleys where the markets where located. Balsa rented a shaggy, short-legged horse that looked hardy enough to weather the cold winter. They found a spring in the woods where they bathed, not without Alika whining by the coldness of the water and refused to take off her arms from her shivered body. Balsa hurried to dry thoroughly her daughter before putting her little pink dress and wool cloak. She stopped griping when clothes covered her skin and waited for her mother to finish. The clothes were stiff and heavy compared to the clothing worn in Yogo, but also much warmer, particularly cloaks. The cold had kept them awoke most of the time last night: the night they should sleep very well, huddled against each other.


	3. Chapter 2: Aunt Yuka's House of Healing

_**Chapter 2:**_ _**Aunt Yuka's house of healing**_

* * *

Balsa brought up Alika on the horse's back and walked at her side.

"Why?" Her daughter asked.

"Because, I don't have really space between my legs and my stomach with the baby, if you know what I mean."

"Oh ok."

"As I'm pregnant, I'm not supposed to ride a horse. It could be harmful for the baby.

"I understand…"

They reached the border between Yonsa and Musa before nightfall. It was marked by two crude stone forts on either side of the road at the top of the mountain pass. Relations between the two clans were good and the guards merely watched travelers pass through while they grazed their goats. They gave Balsa directions to the nearest inn, and that night, she slept indoors for the first time in a long while. Used to wrapping herself up in a _shiruya_ – blanket used in Yogo – she sleeping on the floor with her daughter by the hearth as they often did in Yogo. Balsa found it strange to lie in a rough wooden bed against the wall under a heap of musty smelling straw.

The next morning, they ate breakfast at the inn and then set out to find Aunt Yuka, who appeared to be well-known. The innkeeper told them that Yuka ran a house of healing in the valley near the chieftain's village, about an hour's journey from the inn. She mounted Alika on the horse's back. On the way, Balsa saw a woman harvesting _gasha_ from the thin dry soil in small plots shored up by stone retaining walls. Once again she was struck by the poverty of her native land.

"Do you still love this place even it's very poor?" She inquired to Alika.

"I still love Kanbal, even if it's poor!" She brightened. "I feel if I have already live a past life here…"

"So much the better."

Balsa's lips stung, chapped by the strong, dry wind. She rode over a low hill and looked down into a wide, gently sloping valley. She could see the chieftain's hall perched on a rise to the north and, in the foreground, a market about the size of _Sula Lassal_. Set apart from both of these was a group of building surrounded by a low stone wall. That, she realized must be her aunt's house of healing. As she drew nearer, Balsa began feel like she had seen this place before. Perhaps her father had brought her when she was very small. When she saw a branch of a _yukka_ three overhanging a black stone wall, she was suddenly sure of it. The tree was laden with red fruit, and birds flitted from branch to branch, chirping merrily. The sweet smell of ripe _Yukka_ drifted toward her on the wind. She dismounted her daughter and was gazing absently up at the branches when someone moved on the other side of the wooden gate. A short elderly man with a rake in his hand stood staring at them.

"Is this the house of healing?" Balsa asked.

"Yes, it is." he replied with a nod. "Are you ill or is the little girl?"

"No, I'm not a patient. I'd like to meet Mistress Yuka."

The assistant looked doubtfully at the two spears, as if unsure what to make of her, but at the moment, a plump, sturdy woman of about fifty appeared at the gate. Her salt-and-pepper hair was tied back, and she wore a soft woollen robe. Balsa instantly recognized her black brows, firm chin, and dark brown eyes.

"I'm Yuka Yonsa. Did you wish to see me?" the woman said calmly.

Balsa's heart began to pound. All though of caution vanished when she saw her aunt's face.

"Aunt Yuka, it's me, Balsa. Karuna's daughter."

The woman looked at her strangely, as if she had difficulty understanding what Balsa said. Then her face grew stern and she spoke quietly but forcefully.

"Who are you, and why do you use my niece's name?"

Yuka had last seen Balsa when she was six. She could not be expecting to find that child in the face of a woman already turned thirty. Balsa looked her straight in the eyes and spoke quietly and deliberately.

"I'm not using anyone else's name. I _am_ Balsa."

Her aunt's eyes wavered.

"But that's impossible! Balsa died when she was only six years old."

Balsa felt as if she had been punched in the chest. She had expected something like this, but hearing the words from her aunt's mouth still hurt.

"Did you see her body?" she asked softly.

Her aunt grew visibly paler.

"No, how could I? She fell into an artesian well. She was swept away underground and–"

"Aunt Yuka," Balsa interrupted her abruptly, "you see the branch on this _Yukka_ tree? I don't know how old I was, but I remember falling from it and breaking my arm."

Her aunt's face turned chalk white and her lips trembled. She pressed them together and looked searchingly into Balsa's face. With a shaking hand, she brushed back her hair.

"Lusula, Goddess of Dreams," she murmured. "Is this a waking nightmare?"

It was at this time that Alika took off her face of the "skirt" of her mother and watched her great aunt, with curiosity. Yuka looked at her in return. She ignored what was this feeling, but this little girl who held a spear had the same childish face of her niece at the same age.

"Who... is that?" Yuka asked.

"This is Alika. My daughter."

"Your daughter... she really looks like at..."

Alika winced and put her face in her mother's cloak; feeling too scanned and closed her fists firmly in her mother's clothes.

* * *

Yuka led Balsa and her daughter into her living room and asked them to wait while she saw to some patients. Balsa took place on a two-seater sofa and her daughter joined her. It was a comfortable room. The polished stone floor was strewn with sweet-smelling dried grasses, and a breeze bearing the scent of _yukka_ fruit wafted through a window larger than those in most Kanbalese homes. Red embers glowed in the hearth, and a gleaming saucepan hung on the wall inside the wide inglenook fireplace. In the middle of the room stood a table covered in a thin green cloth. A single book lay on top of it. Bunches of herbs hung from the rafters in the ceiling, swaying in the breeze.

"It reminds me Daddy," noticed Alika.

"It's true, I was thinking too."

"She's your Aunt, Mommy?"

"Yes, she's Aunt Yuka."

"She's nice?"

"Obviously."

"She doesn't seem at first, and you were anxious at a given moment..."

Balsa smiled.

"She hasn't seen me since I was six years... but, the fact that you have shown your face may be due to change her opinion about me..." Alika hold suddenly her belly. "Sweetie, do you have a stomach ache?"

"No... well, maybe a little."

"Are you nervous?"

"No... There's a strange atmosphere here. I feel too much energies; it makes me upside down…"

Her mother smiled and pressed her shuddered daughter against her and together they waited Yuka. They heard footsteps approaching, and they looked toward the door. Her aunt entered, bearing a tray containing some baked sweets and two handleless of _lakalle_ and a glass of _lakoluka_ for the youngest.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she says uncertainly. "Fortunately, there were fewer patients than usual today…"

Yuka offered the glass in front of Alika and the cup in front of her niece.

"Why don't you tell me your story now? You can take your time."

Balsa took the cup that her aunt offered. A hint of fragrant spices filled her mouth with the first sip, stirring a memory so familiar it made her nose sting with unshed tears.

"I know this flavor. My father used to give me this when I caught a cold."

Yuka breathed in sharply. She looked at Alika's mother and nodded.

"Really? Then perhaps you are Balsa after all. Karuna and I had developed this recipe when we were studying together at the academy in the academy in the capital. It's made from a combination of spices that warm the body and it's an excellent cold remedy."

Balsa stopped drinking, seeing that Yuka was still watching her daughter with interested eyes, whom hadn't moved a single hair; her head was still bent and watched the drink before her eyes.

"What's wrong , Alika? There is no danger, you can drink properly."

"Is she shy?" Yuka asked.

"Sometimes," She stroked her daughter's back and stretched to take the glass. "You don't want to taste it, honey?"

"Well..." her daughter said only.

"Too bad, I'm going to taste it before you."

Balsa raised the glass to her lips under the follower's eyes of her child and sipped, still reviving some memories. Her daughter reached over and took the glass and imitated her.

"That's the way we must doing to force her to taste something new."

"Mommy!"

"Mom teases you. You know that. And because I love you."

Alika took a pinched air, making laugh both adults.

"Did someone rescued you after you fell into the well and were swept away by the current?" Yuka began.

Balsa shook her head. "I never fell down a well. But before I tell you my story, tell me what happened to my father."

"My brother was killed ten days after... after you disappeared. The old serving woman found him lying slain at the back door when she went to work that morning. The palace guard claimed that it was the work of thieves. The house was a mess, as if a storm had passed through it."

Balsa closed her eyes briefly. Alika took the opportunity to take some baked sweets discreetly. Balsa opened them and asked in a quiet voice:

"Did you see his body?"

"Yes. I was staying in an inn in the capital because I was worried about Karuna. He was so despondent over your death. I wanted to stay at his house, but he absolutely refused, almost as if he knew that he would be attacked. Yes, I saw my brother's body, and ever since I've wondered what really happened. He had two injuries. One was a deep slash that ran all the way from his left shoulder down across his stomach. Any robbers who have given him a wound like that would have left him for dead. Yet they still cut his throat. When I saw that, I know that whoever did it wasn't planning to rob him. This last stab in the neck made absolutely sure that he was dead."

Alika became livid, suddenly dropped her cookie she was eating, on the floor. She saw spirits, and she met Karuna in spirit mind once. The first time was under the form from which he was killed, a king of flashback in one of her dreams. Other times, Karuna was in his normal body. Now she understood why. Yuka placed a hand over her mouth, sorry.

"Mom... I understand why now..." she murmured while Balsa was surrounding her arm around her shoulders. "My nightmares...

"I'm sorry, I almost forgot that you were here..." Yuka apologized.

"No, that's okay... continue please."

"Are you sure?"

The little girl nodded her head positively, leaning her cheek against the top of her mother's chest. Yuka took deep breath and Balsa spoke.

"Jiguro said that if you saw the body, you would be sure to notice something wrong. And he feared it might put your life in danger."

"Jiguro?" Yuka said sharply. "You mean Jiguro Musa?"

Balsa was surprised at her tone of voice. She spat out the name as if belonged to a poisonous insect.

"Yes… Jiguro saved me. He raised me and helped me to survive."

"You know," Yuka confessed, looking shocked and confused, "I still feel as though I'm caught in the middle of a bad dream. Your tale is like a twisted maze."

"Really?"

"Yes. Jiguro Musa was a fool, a complete idiot that caused terrible suffering to all of us from just plain stubbornness. I'd know him since we were children and I felt so betrayed when I realized what an idiot he was. It's true he had a stubborn streak even when he was young, but I never thought he'd do something like that."

"And what do you think he did?" Balsa asked as she sucked in her breath.

"If I'm going to tell you, I guess I had better start with what happened before that. You see, Jiguro and Prince Rogsam never got along. Everyone who lived in the castle knew that. Even though he was the youngest of the Spears, Jiguro displayed outstanding skill, and he was the best of the king's martial arts instructors as well. He never let the princes off easy, but worked them just as hard as everyone else. Prince Rogsam was older and cunning too, but Jiguro frequently beat him soundly in practice. You could feel the hatred between them." She sighed. "Prince Rogsam was a deceitful, despicable man. But still... I don't know if you remember anything about succession in Kanbal, but the heir doesn't automatically succeed to the throne when the king dies. He must first be recognized by all nine of the King's Spears. Only when they pledge allegiance to him is he accepted as the legitimate heir. At the coronation, all the Spears gather around and touch his head with their gold rings."

"Interesting, I didn't know that."

"Jiguro was considered a great hero. He was invited to attend the Giving Ceremony when he was sixteen, and all the Spears recognized him as the best warrior among them. Though he was a man with few words and never boasted, he did have a strong sense of pride. Once he made a decision, he never wavered."

Yuka's niece nodded.

"But the man who would bring misfortune on the heads of others for the sake of his own pride and stubborn was nothing but a fool."

Alika took some sweets and a sip her _Lakoluka_ before continued to listening the story of Aunt Yuka who explained the betrayal Jiguro and he stole the gold rings, a pride for each Spears-wielder of the nine clans and it was a symbol linking the royal family to the nine clans. And to prove their loyalty to the royal family, each clan has sent their best spear against Jiguro praying god Yoram to not talk to him when they went to kill him. Balsa realized that the Spear hadn't hunted them for fifteen years because their families had been taken hostage, but to prove their loyalty to the King Rogsam!

"You were too young to have known, but Karuna, Jiguro and I were great friends from the very first time when we met in the capital."

"Really?" Balsa smiled.

"Yes."

The spear-wielder told at her turn the whole story of her side until Yuka understand gradually.

"I always wondered about my brother's death, but your story reminded me several things that bothered me. When King Naguru died, Karuna became very strangely. He was in such a hurry to bury the body, hoping that no other doctor will see his body and wanting to avoid a decline. It was unseasonable warm that day, so others people just accepted what he said. But I knew him well, it seemed unusual. I also wondered why Jiguro disappeared three days before the King passed away, almost as if he knew the king was going to die. And I couldn't understand why, even if he was planning to revolt, he fled the country without telling Karuna and me the truth... it seemed so out of character. The day after he disappeared, my brother told me you had drowned. So many strange things were happening – it seems like heaven and earth had turned upside down! I had just decided to ask Karuna what on earth was going on when he was killed."

Yuka looked Balsa's spear. Balsa tells her that Jiguro had forged the spear for her when she was only ten years. How cruel life had to follow her niece against her will.

"Ah, Jiguro. How well you raised and protected Balsa? I can hardly believe it. To think a blunt and awkward man like you could have raised a little girl, all on your own..."

"You're right. There was never a man so unsuited to raising a girl as Jiguro. No wonder I have no idea how to be feminine," she laughs.

"It's unfair to blame it all on Jiguro. You were born tomboy who put the boys to shame. Karuna used to say you must have left something important behind in your mother's womb."

"This is something I've forgotten; I think I offered my feminine side to my daughter who is a good mix of tomboy and feminine," Balsa said, stroking Alika's hairs.

"That's right, Mommy?"

"I think so. You're much more feminine than me, but you have my tomboy temperament."

"So finally," Yuka said. "What are you going to do? Do you intend to clear Jiguro's name?"

"What can I do?" she smiled sadly. "Even if I want to take revenge, Rogsam died, and frankly, I don't see much point in dredging up that plot now. I came back to heal an old hurt that I had been too afraid to confront..."

Twilight created a deep shadow on Balsa's face, while her daughter's face was illuminated by the setting sun.

"And because Alika was so eager to discover Kanbal. You should have seen her a few years earlier; she doesn't stop to asking me how was Kanbal, the Kanbalese lifestyle, what we ate here and customs..."

"Do you spoke to her in Kanbalese language?"

"Yes, I spoke her, sometimes... there's no doubt that I need to retrace a bit my past to remember few words, but I had the opportunity to speak her in Kanbalese few times."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course?"

"How old is your daughter?"

"Seven years."

"Seven years and carrying a spear?" She surprised.

"Yes. Some have the talent and she has. Besides, I have to tell you my latest adventure."

"Chagum-Niisan?" Alika brightened.

"That's it."

Balsa explained that she had been asked to be the bodyguard of a New Yogo young prince, Chagum, who carried the egg of a sacred Spirit and his father, the Mikado, wanted to kill him to keep the prosperity of the royal family. And the funniest thing about it: Balsa was really happy to protecting him even though it was extremely dangerous and a frightening job, and she finally realized that it wasn't such a bad way to live.

"Until then, I never really cared how I lived my life... until the birth of my daughter, for sure."

"You were aged about..."

"Twenty-three years old."

The room was dark now she could barely make out the face of her aunt in the dark. A small noise attracted their attention and they noticed that Alika fallen asleep, force to listen Yuka telling stories. The aunt stood up and brewed embers. Balsa rose slowly at her turn, caressing her back and closed the window. The space cleared when Yuka circled by lighting the candles. She turns a look at her niece.

"Now I understand why you came back. I feel like I've lived through twenty-five years in a single day."

They smiled at each other.

"We haven't run out of things to say, but I for one am hungry. Can you give me a hand? We'll some supper."

While Balsa approached a little more, Yuka stopped.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Are you pregnant?" Yuka questioned her.

"Oh, yes."

"How many months?" Her reacts was suddenly a tone alarmed.

"Well... six months."

"And you've been through all the mountains of northern New Yogo Empire in _this_ state?"

"Yes, I don't see where the problem is..."

"It's not very good for your health, you know. And for the baby."

"I wonder why you are so worried about me, even Alika is worried. But I swear that I'm fine. And I don't feel hurt anywhere."

"Even in your lower back?"

"I'm strong. There's only my belly that become roundness, but the rest, I swear I keep it in health."

Her aunt sighed, still not confident, but she decided to place her trust in her niece. Yuka had no other help than a gardener and an assistant trainer. Together, they made a pot of _Laroo_ , with meat and gashas cooked in milk and seasoned with fragrant herbs. The hot stew was delicious, especially since the bitter cold of the night had fallen. They put the table and laid dishes. They observed that Alika seemed asleep.

"Should we wake her?" Yuka asked.

"It always works when the food looks good."

She took the bowl and blew on the smoke so that it moves towards the face of her daughter. She stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes slowly, then more when she saw the bowl in front of her.

"We eat!"she exclaimed, making Yuka startle by jumping up and coming to join them. "I was so hungry!"

"But... you have eaten full of baking sweets and you still hungry?" the doctor wondered.

"Alika's a stomach on foot," helped Balsa "This is impossible to satisfy her hunger.

She smiled at her daughter, who had already started eating without even daring to ask what was in the meal.

"Especially if there is meat in the meal," Balsa added.

"She will find winter harder."

"How so?"

"In autumn and winter, when the nights get longer, we eat only two meals a day. A late breakfast and an early dinner. The majority of Kanbalese people do this to save their oil lamp."

"And you do that, Aunt Yuka?"

"No. I treat many patients and because I am a doctor, I have a very easy salary. So I only eat when I'm hungry or feel the need. "

"Mom always taught me to not waste food," Alika out by putting a spoonful of her meal in her mouth. "I kept thinking about the Kanbalese people... so I try to not waste anything."

"But you're not trash either," Yuka reminded her.

"Hum..."

They still talked, summarizing their conversation until there is confusion between the two women. Yuka said that Jiguro was killed by Yuguro – the younger brother Jiguro – while Balsa said he'd died of an illness and she had seen making his last breath and was at his side when it was arrived with Tanda and Torogai. The atmosphere of the room earlier warm then became cold and heavy.

"Could the plot have run deeper than you thought?" The aunt murmured.

Alika continued eating and grimaced due to the atmosphere of the room. She decided to change the course of the conversation, drawing attention on her.

"Um... sorry to bother you," she interrupted while the two women watching her. "I get a little lost with all these stories... You are Mom's aunt, aren't you?"

"Yes, at least I hope so."

"Don't worry, Mommy always tells the truth! I found you look like a lot! Both of you."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Now that you mention it... it's true. Ah yes, Balsa, I remember that I wanted to ask you something about your daughter."

"Go ahead," her niece insisted.

"This small honey must surely have a daddy somewhere?" An amused smile blooms on the lips of her aunt. "Are you married?"

To begin to response at her question, Balsa showed the back of her left hand. No ring was there.

"I hope it doesn't change your vision about me or Alika that I'm not married and have a child, and in addition, I'm pregnant, right?"

"No, I wondered only."

"We have already had a conversation about that with my daughter. She was made treated: " bastard" there's a year, but I'm not noble, and his father, my childhood friend Tanda, a Métis Yakue isn't noble either. He is from a good family; he is also a physician and apothecary. He lives in New Yogo Empire, in a small easy refuge. So I told her she was rather a free child."

"Does she bear your last name in this case?"

"Yes. Yonsa."

"I see. It goes very well with her name. And she also wields a spear."

"I can show you a demonstration!" the child smiled. "I'm very good!"

"My dear, I think isn't the suitable time. You run the risk to getting a mess and secondly, it would be better for you to keep a low profile with your spear during an indeterminate time... Until problems get resolve," Balsa stopped her.

"Problems?"

"Long story, but can you do this for Mommy? Please... and for your little brother or little sister."

"Okay," she sighed plunging her spoon into her bowl. "Just for him or her... and for my Mom."

"That's nice."

It was quite late at night, but Yuka and Balsa were too agitated to sleep. But not for Alika, which began to hammering the nail on the couch and fell asleep several times in the middle of a conversation.

"It's been hours since the midnight horn blew. We should go to bed soon," Yuka said. "Your daughter seems tired."

"It's true."

"We have already prepared your bed in the guest room."

"I'll take care soon, but until then, you should tell to the gardener I met this morning to keep the silence too, I'd rather not get you into any trouble."

"What are you saying?"

"Oh no, I just want to take some precautions."

"You're six months pregnant; I doubt anyone would want to hurt a pregnant woman, right?"

"So... well, I think we'll drive this child to bed."

Balsa took Alika, still asleep, in her arms and Yuka led them to the guest room where all of their suitcases had been put down and Yuka wished them a good night. Spear-wielder put the spear of her daughter under the bed and dressed her for the night without even wakes up her. She changed at her turn and lay, sticky Alika against her.


End file.
